Ravens make practice squad moves to improve wide receiver and edge depth

With injuries stacked up at a pair of premium positions, the Baltimore Ravens made a handful of moves to add some much-needed depth on Tuesday. First was the signing of wide receivers Dontay Demus Jr. and Tarik Black and the release of offensive lineman Kyle Fuller and fullback/tight end Ben Mason in corresponding moves.

Both Demus Jr. and Black were with the team during training camp and the preseason but didn’t make the final roster and were released during the final cutdowns. Fuller was signed to the practice squad on September 12 and Mason — a 2021 fifth-round pick by the Ravens— was brought back after clearing waivers.

The team placed third-year wide receiver Tylan Wallace on injured reserve with a hamstring injury on Monday. They also have three-time Pro Bowler Odell Beckham Jr. and 2021 first-rounder Rashod Bateman dealing with minor lower extremity injuries as well.

Demus Jr. is an undrafted rookie out of Maryland who recorded three catches and 97 receiving yards during the preseason. Black went undrafted out of Texas in 2021 and caught just one pass for five yards. They will join undrafted rookie Sean Ryan and former first-rounder Laquon Treadwell to give the the Ravens four receivers on the practice squad.

The most notable practice squad transaction of the day was the official signing of veteran edge defender Kyle Van Noy, who visited the team for the second time in three months on Tuesday and agreed to terms later in the day.

It can often take veteran players who weren’t in any team’s training camp a little while to get into football shape and learn the new system they’re coming into. However, Van Noy might not have that luxury, as the Ravens have several outside linebackers that are either dealing with injuries or not available at the moment.

Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo sustain ankle injuries in back-to-back weeks, veteran Tyus Bowser is still on the Non-Football Injury list, and undrafted rookie Malik Hamm is on Injured Reserve for at least another week.